What the ABL AREF18W costs to run
ENERGY STAR certifies the ABL AREF18W at 360 kWh/yr, about average for its category to run for its category.
That $68 is priced at 18.8¢/kWh, the average of all 51 state rates this site tracks. Your own state's rate is one click away.
Efficient, or not, for a refrigerator
Against the category average of 386 kWh/yr, this model uses 6.7% less, ranking 2,484 of 4,704 refrigerators tracked here for running cost. That average is drawn from all 4,704 refrigerators ENERGY STAR currently certifies, not an outside number, a $5/year gap from this model at the national rate. Full sourcing is in the sourcing notes.
Right next to it on the list
A rank or two either side of the ABL AREF18W: ABL AREF18S ($68/yr, 360 kWh/yr), then Beko BFBF2414SSIM ($68/yr, 360 kWh/yr).
Within the ABL lineup
Of the 4 ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators ABL makes, the AREF18W costs the most to run, about the same, within a dollar a year, more than ABL's cheapest, the AREF18**.
ABL AREF18W over 13 years
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical refrigerator's service life at 13 years; run the ABL AREF18W that long and it costs about $880 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Weighing a replacement
Efficient as certified refrigerators go, $68/year is a reasonable baseline if you're comparing what else is on the market.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators before buying.
If you're keeping it
At $68/year just to run, a refrigerator is worth protecting against an unplanned repair bill on top of that.
Where this number comes from
Nothing here is estimated from a nameplate wattage; the 360 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. At rank 2,484 of 4,704 for running cost, see the refrigerator category page for the rest of the field, or the guide to how much your state matters.